Wood distilling apparatus



Dec. 5, 1933. 1 T, MYERS 1,938,494

WOOD DISTILLING APPARATUS Filed June 2l, 1929 CSheetS-Sheet l INVENTO WITNESS' ATTORNEY Filed June 2l, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 n N L NJN Jora ZZfgerlzgmm WITNESS:

Dec. 5, 1933. 1T, MYERS A 1,933,494

WOOD DISTILLING APPARATUS Filed June 2l, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 TTTTTT EY Patented Dec. 5, 1933 Y Y 1,938,494 Woon Dls'rlLLING APPARATUS John T. Myers, Point Washington, Fla..

Application June 21, 1929. Serial No. 372,672

1 Claim.

This invention relates to awood distilling apparatus, the general object of the inventionbeing to provide a housing of greater width at its tcp part than at its bottom part so that a larger quantity of wood can be placed in the top part than in the bottom part so that the greater quantity of wood will be subjected to the heat which naturally rises to the top of the housing, with a chamber formed in the bottom of the casing for receiving the tar extracted from the wood by the heat, said chamber having a perforated top part, with means for conducting the vapors from said chamber and from the top of the housing and leading them into a condenser arranged outside of the housing.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for spraying the Wood and the walls of the housing.

A further object of the invention is to provide the housing with concrete walls and metal sides, with means for detachably connecting the sides tothe end walls so that these metal sides can be renewed when necessary.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in' the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawingswherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in whichz- Figure l is asection on line 1-1 of Figure 4.

Figure 2 is a 'section' on line 2 2 of Figure 4.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the apparatus. Y

Figure 4 is an elevation thereof.

Figure 5 is an enlarged view with parts broken away and in section, and illustrates one of the spray pipes passing through a wall of the housing and the associated elements thereof.

Figure 5 is a detail view of a modified form of chamber with a plurality of lugs therein to support the cover of the chamber at various posi tions. f

As shown in these Views, the housing A is composed of the concrete ends 1 which are formed with upwardly and outwardly sloping side edges, and the metal sides 2 which are fastened to the end walls by the rods 3 which pass through the end walls and have their projecting ends threaded to pass through holes in the side members 2, nuts 4 being placed on the threaded ends of the rods lshown by a modified form illustrated in Figure 6,

to hold the side members in place. An angle iron 5 is fastened to each of the top and bottom edge cf each side member and metal rafters 6 have their lower ends resting on the top angle irons and their upper ends rest on a longitudinally ex'- 60 tending beam 7 which has its ends supported by f the end walls of the housing. The rafters are suitably connected with the beam 7, as shown at 8. The peaked roof of the housing is formed of ie metal plates 9 which rest loosely on the rafters and are covered with a layer 1G of sand or the like which acts to prevent vapors from passing through the plates oi the roof. The housing is provided with a concrete bottom 11 and this bottom is so formed as to provide a central longitudinally extending chamber 12 therein. This chamber is covered by a plurality of metal plates 13 having perforations 13 therein so that the tar extracted from the wood will pass through the perforations and accumulate in the chamber. The cover formed by the plates 13 is supported on brackets or lugs 12 that are formed on or otherwise secured to the walls of the chamber 12, and these lugs may be arranged in vertical rows so that the cover maybe adjusted vertically as and several of these covers may be used,` if desired. By forming the cover of a plurality of plates, the plates can be easily removed and replaced. Y

A furnace structure 14 is placed against the outer race of each side member, as shown, and each structure is formed with the usual iire boxes 15 which are connected with a common chimney 16. Thus when fuel is placed in the fire boxes, the heat generated in the furnace structures will heatthe interior of the housing so that the tar and other products contained in the Wood placed in the housing wiil be extracted. The wood is placed in the housing through an opening formed in one end thereoi'which is closed 95 by a door 17. The tar frornthe chamber 12 may be removed therefrom through a discharge pipe 18 which is in communication with one end of the chamber and contains a valve V19, this pipe discharging into a receptacle 20. A pipe 21 has its lower end extending into the chamber and said pipe extends upwardly adjacent one end of the housing and through said end and discharges into a coil 22 of a condenser 23. A branch pipe 24 is in communication with the peak of the housing and is connected with the pipe 21 and contains a Valve 25. The pipe 21 removes vapors from the chamber 12 and the pipe 24 removes the vapors from the top of the housing.

A spray pipe 26 is arranged under each of the upper angle irons 5 and is connected with a supply of water and this pipe is rotatably connected with the supply pipe 27 so that it can be turned to direct the water passing through the perorations 28 therein either against the sides of the housing or on to the material within the housing. Another spray pipe 29 is arranged in the top part of the roof of the housing and is connected with a water supply through a pipe 30, both supply pipes having the valves 31 therein. The lower end of the pipe 2l has an adjustable and removable nipple 32 thereon so that this nipple can be raised or lowered or removed and a shorter or longer nipple substituted therefor', so that the end of the pipe 21 can be adjusted to extend more or less into the chamber. The roof is also provided with an opening covered by a door 33 which is used as a vent for cooling and letting vapors escape from the housing during cooiing and charging periods.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the tar extracted from the wood will pass through the perforations in the cover 13 and collect in the chamber l2, from which it can be drawn by opening the valve 19, which permits the tar to discharge into the receptacle 20. The vapors from the chamber are discharged into the condenser through the pipe 21 and the vapors in the top of the housing are discharged into the condenser through the valve controlled pipe 24. The spray pipes 26 can be used for spraying the sides of the housing or the spray from these pipes can be directed into the interior of the housing, while the spray pipe 29 will spray, the water downwardly upon the contents of the housing. By making the end walls of concrete, these Walls are more durable than if made of other materials and they also hold the iron rods rmly, which connect the metal sides to the end walls. When the nuts are tightened, a practically vapor-proof connection is made between the side walls andthe end walls of the housing. By making the end Walls of cement, expansion and contraction is prevented, and these end walls will not radiate heat as they would if they were made of steel. The pipe 21 causes the vapors to pass to the bottom of the housing and into the tar chamber before they can pass through said pipe, thus creating a slight pressure within the housing which insures the housing being full of hot vapors at all times, with the coldest vapors being removed from the bottom, leaving the hot vapors to heat the wood. By providing the adjustable nipple 22, the end of the vapor outlet pipe can be lowered to a point where the heat is sufhcient to thoroughly char the wood to the bottom. By holding the tar in the chamber, it will assist in the heating of the housing, as the tar is susceptible of carrying a high degree of heat and at the same time the tar is relieved of what moisture and light oils it contains, which passes out of the apparatus as vapor. The false bottom covers the ditch and prevents the wood and coal from falling into it. It is also adjustable, so that it may be lowered or raised to a point where the heated vapors are suiiciently hot to char the wood. There may be more than one false bottom which can be placed higher up in the retort and made in sections. These sections will produce charcoal of a higher quality as the higher section is more highly heated. As the steel sides lean out over the hre box and iiue, the apparatus is more easily heated. The heat is greater at the top of the retort, and by making the top wider, more wood is placed where the heat is greatest. In addition to this, the retort will hold more wood and be operated with less heat. The cone-shaped roof makes room and space for more wood at the top which heats and chars better at this point. The vapor pipe and valve at the top permits the vapors to escape from the top instead of the bottom vapor pipe. This pipe can be used if the lower pipe is stopped up by tar or otherwise. This Vapor pipe is also used at the commencement of the operation, for the purpose of quickly eliminating the wood naphtha or light gas which is produced before the tar begins to run, this gas being a very dangerous explosive. The spray pipes at the sides assist in expelling this gas, by forcing it out of the retort with steam. As soon as the turpentine begins to run, the valve is closed and the vapors are then forced out of the bottom pipe. The spray pipes under the angle irons act as a spray on the steel sides and cool the sides of the retort at the beginning of the operation, thereby preventing any explosion and by turning the holes in the pipe toward the center of the retort, it acts as a cooling process after the operation is complete. The circular door at the top is for cooling purposes and an outlet for vapors when cooling down the retort.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the -several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim isz- A retort of the character described comprising a housing adapted to be heated, an elongated chamber arranged centrally in the oor of the housing, a cover for said chamber having a plurality of perforations through some of which said chamber communicates with said housing, an upwardly extending vapor discharge pipe having the upper major portion thereof arranged within the housing and having its lower portion passed through one of the perforations of said cover and communicating with said chamber, said pipe also including a horizontally disposed branch extending through one wall of the housing, a vapor discharge pipe communicating with the top of the housing and With said Ahorizontally disposed branch of the rst mentioned pipe, and a valve in the second mentioned discharge pipe.

JOHN T. MYERS. 

